A mathematical quilt, 1991

Made:
1991 in United States, Indiana and West Lafayette
Sierpinski Triangles mathematical quilt Sierpinski Triangles mathematical quilt

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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Sierpinski Triangles mathematical quilt
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Sierpinski Triangles mathematical quilt
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Sierpinski Triangles mathematical quilt, inspired by Benoit Mandlebrot's work on fractal geometry, made by Elaine Krajenke Ellison, 1991.

The Sierpinski triangle challenges our firm belief that if something is real it is measurable. Waclaw Sierpinski was a Polish mathematician particularly known for his work on set theory and topology. In 1915 he described this basic self-similar set, a mathematically generated pattern that has the property that any part is the same as the whole, so it can be reproduced at any magnification or reduction. In 1967, Benoît Mandelbrot, well known for his work on fractals, linked Sierpinski’s triangle with the British coastline: the more you magnify it, the longer it becomes.

Details

Category:
Mathematics
Object Number:
2000-1088
Materials:
cotton and complete
Measurements:
overall: 5 x 1040 x 1040 mm
type:
quilts and mathematical quilts
credit:
Ellison, Elaine Krajenke